Menu

Month: February 2015

Electrical switchgear is a term that comprises of all the switching devices related with mostly the power system protection. Switchgears in substations are situated on both the low voltage and high voltage side of large power transformers. The switchgear on the lower voltage side of the transformers may perhaps be located in the building, with medium voltage circuit breakers for distribution circuits, all along with protection, control and metering equipment.

Medium Voltage Switchgear Application

Arc Furnace

An arc furnace is necessary to get switch off and on often. The current to be switched might be from 0 to 8 times of the rated current of the furnace. An arc furnace is be switched on and off at its normal rated current up to 2000A, approximately 100 times per day. A normal, oil, air or SF6 circuit breaker is not at all reasonable for this frequent operation. Typical vacuum circuit breaker is most suitable alternative for this frequent high current circuit breaker operation.

Railway Traction

One more application of medium voltage switchgear is single phase railway track system. The major function of the circuit breaker is linked with railway traction system, is to disrupt short circuit, on the overhead catenary system that come about frequently and are transitory in nature. Thus circuit breaker used for this purpose must have, short breaking time for short arcing time, small contact gap, VCB and quick breaking is the best probable solution. In fact arcing energy is much higher in the single phase CB than 3 phases CB. It is much lesser in circuit breaker than that in usual circuit breaker. The number of short circuit takes place in the overhead catenary system much higher than those occurring on electrical transmission system. The medium voltage switchgear possessed with vacuum circuit breaker is most appropriate for traction application.

Indeed depressing, the switchboards market has come of age in terms of patents, designs, safety norms and quality. The archetypal and conventional grey market though, is still playing the role of a spoil-sport. They gloss over the quality and safety guidelines to capture the whole market share and cause a serious threat to the business. The contractor, electrical designer and the end user are equally held accountable both legally and professionally for the design and production of the panel board.

The Electrical Switchboard is only a fraction of the total outlay on a complete panel and most generally given the least care, while it comes to the design resulting in rapid halt of operation causing enormous production losses. Imagine developed production unit halted for some specific hours to service the distribution panel!!! The safety guidelines of the operating board safeguard not only the panel but also the other related assets such as, wires, transformers, electronics, machines, etc. and most prominently the precious lives of operators. Thus it is extremely significant that you select the right criteria while designing the electrical switchboard.

A well known research expert from the field once drew a comparison of a fully built panel to the human body with fuses & switchgears analogous to the bus bars, vital organs and other connectivity to the veins and arteries, intelligent system to the brain and nerves and the switchboard to the muscular and skeletal systems!!! There’s no better way to underline the significance of properly designed switchboard !

We have noticed a nerving disagreement of interest with the Electrical design consultants and end users on one and the contractors on the other end, with safety norms and quality railed against blind cost decline drives. Pointless to say safety or technical guidelines must always be of utmost priority in switchboard manufacture.

Electrical panel boards serve like the control centre for several electrical systems like, residential wiring. If the electrical panel is well-made, it is simple to access and added electrical systems can be additional to the panel with time. If the panel is ill designed, several problems can rise. The electrical contractor can be employed to design the panel however the cost can be great. Use few expert design methods to make an electrical panelboard, thereby reducing the cost of employing the contractor or designer.

Instructions

Decide the system’s requirements and individual constituents. In residential arrangements, the electrical requirements of a family alter with time. Room additions might be added to the arrangement for extra family members. Electrical panel board should be designed to house these variations. Prepare a record of the immediate requirements and long term goals. If added electrical components need to be added, the panel should be large enough to lodge those constituents. Record all the constituents that will be measured from the panel.

Have a look at the necessary electrical codes for the project. Even panel’s casing need to be constructed from constituents accepted by the electrical codes. Electrical codes could be assimilated at the State’s Building Standards Commission’s website. Record all the suitable panel material and any statistics referring to the panel’s wiring like breaker loads.

Make a sketch of the panel board. Initiate by drawing the panel’s face outline. Decide a logical order of locations for the panel’s constituents. Panel components, like, switches, must be grouped in clusters as per the use and easy to access. If the panel controls devices on any side of it, the switches for the devices ought to be clustered consequently. Design the panel so that any switches or controls are located in logical locations.